


Kitsune's Lover

by gigapeni



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Ehehe, Fluff, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Kenma has fluffy tails!!, Kitsune, Kuroo is also a kitsune, M/M, Tentacles, Youkai, don't worry; I'm planning to have tengu Daichi and Suga will make an appearance, v dashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:54:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25665505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigapeni/pseuds/gigapeni
Summary: Kenma, as a kitsune, had always been taught that yōkai are supposed to stay out of sight and mind their own business. Never mind what the humans are doing, they were beneath us. Simply followers to utilise, sheep to direct.But when a pretty redhead wanders into his part of the forest, he can't help but be captivated.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma
Comments: 11
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, Cou here! Has anyone else seen those pictures of Kenma as a kitsune? They're so freaking cool that I really wanted to write something based on those. How can you say no to [this](https://twitter.com/_Hemoon/status/1076356312823300096?s=20)! Don't worry, I'm still working on Jewel of the Forest, but the plot bunnies were attacking and this happened... Hope you guys enjoy!

“May the spirits bless our country with a bountiful harvest this year.” A twelve-year-old Hinata bowed and clapped, closing his eyes with his sister in prayer.

It was a quiet Sunday just like any other, the little ginger had taken it upon himself to bring him and the equally redheaded Natsu to the temple not far into the mountains behind their small village to offer up their garden's first fruits of the season. The woods silent save for the light breeze rustling the trees and the soft chirping of birds filling the early morning air, all of the land still cloaked in slumber save for the two children.

Coming from a long line of Shinto shrine maidens and priests, the Hinata family was familiar with the path to the temple, and the siblings was able to make it there without their parents’ guidance with no worries at all. While their father and mother were busy tending to the main shrine today, the two had taken it upon themselves to wake up at the crack of dawn to offer up their wishes up to Hakuja-sama on behalf of their village. Despite neither of them having started their miko training yet, the eldest Hinata child had always taken great pride in his family heritage, something that Natsu mimicked as she scampered after her beloved older brother.

_Hakuja-sama, I pray that you’ll bless us with lots of rain this year, and that mom and dad and Natsu always stay safe…_

“Sho-sho...what’s that?” Natsu asked with the cute tilt of her head, not quite as patient as Hinata at her young age. She lets go of her big brother’s kimono in favour of following the flittering insect further into the forest, her small body brushing past the overlapping bushes easily.

“Don’t wander off on your own Natsu.” Hinata muttered, eyes still shut tight, determined to finish off his prayer like the good boy his parents said he was.

_…And lastly, I pray that I’ll finally grow as big and tall as Papa this year. Amen._

Caramel orbs fluttered open, adjusting quickly to the glare of the early morning sun, before noticing the significantly relaxed fit of his clothing, the fistful of kimono that Natsu clutched in her chubby hand now sitting wrinkled against his hip.

“Urgh, Natsu! I told you stay here!” He yelled, catching a glimpse of orange amidst the undergrowth some ways away. He ran into the woods after her, trying hard to keep an eye on the bobbing head of ginger as he manoeuvred through the bushes.

For the stubby little legs that his baby sister had, she sure could run! After trailing behind her, yelling for her to slow down for what seemed like an eternity to no avail, Shouyou found himself surrounded by greenery, dense forest stretching out before him for as far as the eye could see.

“N-natsu?” Shouyou squeaked, but all that answered him was the distant twittering of birds above him. “C’mon Natsu, let’s go home…”

After a moment of panic, the boy decided to turn around and find his way back to the shrine instead, where he would wait for the little girl and hopefully run into her again. But as minutes ticked into hours, his clothing clinging to his body feeling hot and sticky against his skin, he knew that he was hopelessly lost. The sun now hung high in the sky, but the warm sunlight filtering through the tree canopy served as nothing aside for a harsh reminder of the time that had passed, his sister still nowhere to be found. The straw straps of his zōri were starting to chafe against his toes as well.

Feeling overwhelmed, Hinata crouched down to the ground, rubbing at his eyes with his sleeves roughly as if to ward off any tears that threatened to escape. “I want to go home…”

At the same time, napping high up in the forest trees was Kenma, lounging on a large branch when he heard the footsteps. A soft sniffling was coming from the forest floor, from a little boy huddled on the ground. It wasn't often that humans ventured this far into the forest, and the kitsune’s ears flickered in curiosity, tails swishing behind him slowly as he observed the mound. He’d never seen such a bright shade of orange on a human’s head before; it looked soft, fluffy.

One of Kenma’s nine tails must have knocked against a tree in his stupor because all of a sudden, a small flurry of leaves were raining down on the boy. _Ugh, he’s going to see me…_ He groaned in his head.

When the child looked up, the pudding-haired yōkai started holding his breath for an entirely different reason altogether. Big, doe eyes stared up into his amber ones, ginkgo leaves falling around him like snow. There was just such a childlike innocence to him, the way he looked up at him in awe that Kenma could feel his breath hitch in his chest.

_He's like an angel…_

Hinata too, was caught in a reverie, the piercing golden gaze that the beautiful fox-like creature gave him made his insides feel like they were being scorched. It was like time froze for the both of them.

Suddenly coming to his senses, Kenma leapt down to the ground, landing soundlessly beside the bewildered boy. He quickly tapped on the redhead’s forehead, his index finger glowing white when it came into contact with skin, and the boy promptly crumpled into his arms.

“I’m sorry about this.” He mumbled apologetically, brushing the hair that had fallen across the unconscious youth’s eyes with gentle fingers.

Sniffing the air, the kitsune followed the human’s scent back to his village, carrying the child on his back as they traversed the dense forest vegetation. One of his tails curled against the boy, the warm, flaxen fur bringing about a rosy sheen on his cheeks.

When Hinata finally came to, curled up at the foot of the stairs to the shrine, all he could recall were piercing golden eyes and the feeling of something warm and fluffy.

* * *

When Kenma returned home, he entered the sitting room without a word in what seemed to be a dazed stupor, breezing past Kuroo and many tabby cats seated on the veranda. Kuroo could feel the corner of his lips twitch as he continued smoking his pipe, after all, it didn't take more than a glance at his pudding haired friend and the blush sitting high on his cheeks to see that something had happened. What was it this time, did an Oni try to take off it's loincloth in front of his again? Honestly, the raven haired kitsune wished he could've been there to see it.

It didn't take long of the raven’s pointed stare for Kenma to crack, spilling the details of his day in a rush.

“Wait, a human saw you?” Kuroo asked, his ears pressed into his hair as he crossed his arms. "And I was just starting to settle in here."

“Will you shut up, we've been here for the past hundred years.” Kenma grumbled, eyes rolling at his friend's antics as he sat. “He was young so relax. No one would believe him if he said he saw a kitsune anyway.” It was almost as if saying it out loud would help convince the yōkai himself that that was the case. Amidst his not-fear, Kenma began tidying the sitting room's chabudai, going back to avidly avoiding his friend's gaze. The twin-tailed kitsune sighed.

“You **_know_** we can’t be seen out and about Kenma, need I remind you that we are deities?” Kuroo said with a resigned puff of his pipe, blowing the smoke into the air in a fine stream. "You're quite **literally** the legendary nine-tails, might I add."

 _Although it’s not like anyone worships us anymore anyway…_ Their shrine looking as battered and decrepit as it has ever been. Kenma and Kuroo were once the two that served as the guardian deities of their small Japanese village, had long resigned themselves to a fate of being erased by time. Though the older kitsune would never admit to it out loud, their days of glory and adorement were long in the past; they both knew that.

“But he was pretty…” Kenma huffed, eyes trailing to the marigolds in the garden, the colour reminding him so much of the boy he met today.

“Yeah yeah, too bad the physical appearance of the human doesn’t make any difference Kenma.” Kuroo said flatly, garnering no response aside from the whispering wind that stroked his cheek as it went by.

* * *

The years had passed by quickly, Hinata pretty much forgetting his eventful day in the woods having finally starting his miko training. He served Hakuja-sama with fervour, becoming one of the most proficient kagura dancers at the shrine, something that brought his parents great pride.

As much as Kuroo would have liked for Kenma to forget about the boy, he just couldn’t pull himself away. His new favourite past time was to watch the boy, perched up on a tree as his tails swayed lazily behind him. Whether it was practising his dancing or just cleaning the shrine, everything the redhead did he did with a smile, warming the kitsune’s heart to its very core. If Kenma had to pick any one thing that he loved watching Hinata do the most, it would be interacting with his sister. The two were like peas in a pod, and Hinata made for a surprisingly reliable older brother despite his easy-going nature. It honestly made him feel a little jealous, a warm sort of tingling in his chest. Despite having been friends with Kuroo for as long as he could remember, he suppose he'd always taken the little brother role himself, pouting and sulking until he got his way. He was best at silent treatment, having once gone for almost 20 years without speaking to Kuroo after the twin-tailed kitsune said "Come in!" to his knock-knock joke centuries back.

Ahh, what it would be like to dote on someone like that, the pudding-hair wonders.

It was five years of peace, five years of quietly watching the ginger’s before Hinata was summoned to the shrine’s main sanctuary. Kenma's golden eyes followed Hinata as he trailed after a woman in red and white, _“You’ve been chosen to console Hakuja-sama tonight, Hinata.”_ That was all the elderly shrine maidens said to him before sending him off alone through the weathered Shinto gates and into the cave nestled deep in the forest. All around him was darkness, the redhead barely making out the outline of a well in the centre of the cave as he ventured deeper. He shivered, goosebumps erupting all over his skin under the thin fabric of his kosode.

_“Hakuja-sama is very skilled, just leave everything to him…”_

Skilled? Skilled at what? Hinata couldn’t even imagine what she meant by that. The possibilities floated through his head as he wandered closer, electricity running through his veins making the tips of his fingers feel jittery. He was finally about to meet Hakuja-sama and he really wasn’t feeling prepared, what if he said the wrong thing? What if he upset the god with his behaviour? Hinata didn’t recall any training on actually **meeting** him!

 _Calm down, calm down. One step at a time Shouyou._ He chanted to himself, forcing his feet to move.

When the ginger was about arm’s length away from the well, the sound of something wet and slippery filled the air, and Hinata could see something slither out of inky darkness of the reservoir. He stood, frozen, unnerved to the nth degree when something wet wrapped around his ankle.

“Ahh!”

The damp appendage lifted him up into the air, holding him upside down as some other tentacles slinked out of the well, gliding over his bare wrists with a squelching noise. Hinata screamed, was this Hakuja-sama?! Was it going to eat him? _V-very well…_ he thought, _for the greater good of the village!_

He barely had time to finish his mental farewell to his family when something slunk between the fold of his kosode, then down to the ties of his hakama, the red trousers promptly plucked off his frame and tossed to the ground. The tentacles wrapped around his thighs, caressing the soft flesh like a lover would, leaving trails of goop in its wake. It proceeded to prod at Hinata’s virgin ring of muscle, the tapered end of an appendage pushing past to kiss at the skin inside.

_Oh._

It suddenly dawned on the young miko what was about to occur, and Hinata could feel the bile rising up his throat alongside the screams that were making his throat hoarse. He felt sick, panic setting in the pit of his stomach as he thrashed, flinging his arms and legs in hopes that Hakuja-sama would just drop him and leave him alone. 

Just as another appendage was wriggling its way into his nether regions, Hinata was lifted up, caught in the embrace of another. Not cold, or wet, or slimy, just…a normal embrace. And in that moment, the boy couldn’t be more thankful for something so ordinary.

“Hold on tight.”

Kenma readjusted his grip on the miko, leaping from tree to tree as nimbly as one can while performing a bridal carry, leaving the well far behind in a matter of seconds.

The trees whizzed by as the two zipped through the forest, Hinata clutching at the front of his saviour’s robes to keep himself from falling to his death. As they climbed higher, a strange sort of smoke seemed to permeate the air that made the miko ( _Ex-miko? Did he just do something sacrilegous?_ Hinata’s head hurt at the thought.) feel extremely lightheaded, head lolling limply to the side while Kenma brought them careening through the woods.

In his haze, Hinata felt soft lips brush against his forehead, its touch velvet and plush. Like a magic spell, the fog in his mind started to lift, his vision clearing enough to see the kitsune slow to a walk, having jumped down from the dizzying height of the trees and onto solid ground. Clutched safely in his arms, Hinata could see the specks of gold in his amber eyes, glittering through his long lashes. The ginger stared, entranced by his delicate variety of beauty, his heart continuing to pound. Whether it was from the adrenaline still running through his veins or angle of his saviour’s handsome face, Hinata was unsure.

For all his staring, the human failed to notice the slow, pink flush the started creeping up the kitsune’s cheeks, amber eyes skittering away to the ground.

“Um...p-please, don’t stare so much.”

He sounded so awkward and uncomfortable that Hinata suddenly felt a bit guilty, quickly dropping his gaze with equally red cheeks. All of a sudden any and all points of contact with the kitsune's body felt hot, the teen's knuckles, a bloodless white from gripping his clothes immediately releasing to tuck into his chest. “Sorry! I…sorry.”

“No, it’s fine, you don’t need to apologise.” Kenma mumbled, ears still pink.

Hinata hesitantly lifted his gaze again, starting to pray to Hakuja-sama that he was in safe hands before he caught himself, his throat feeling tight at the memory of something slippery and slimy. _Old habits die hard, huh…_

Thankfully, they soon came upon what looked to be a shrine. A man with shaggy black hair emerged from the doorway as they crossed the threshold. Two black tails swayed lazily behind him as he approached, a few cats circling his feet.

“Ken? Woah, this one’s different from the strays you usually bring home.”

“Yeah.” Kenma muttered, glancing down at the boy in his arms. When Hinata gathered the courage to looked back at the beautiful creature (the blush is still high on his cheeks) the kitsune’s eyes were as still as a lake, the amber depths pulling Hinata in so much so that he thought he might drown in the loneliness he saw. 

Wait wait wait, hold on! Now wasn't the time to have staring contests with strangers. Wriggling in said stranger's arms, Hinata squeaks with his face in his hands.

“U-um! You can let me down now!”

Scrambling to his feet, Hinata immediately bowed to Kenma, thanking the pudding haired man profusely for saving him, all the while tugging his kosode closer to his frame.

“Hmm." Kenma pitches his voice soft and low, having shaken out of his stupor, pairing his words with a gentle smile as he looks at the angel in front of him. "Hinata-san, how would you like to stay with us for a little bit?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know mikos are traditionally female but I just really like the miko outfit over the priest one... Also yes the village has been worshipping a tentacle demon lmao, the horror! Please let me know what you guys think, I hope you're liking this au so far!


	2. Chapter 2

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Kenma had no one to blame but himself the situation he was in now.

After the three had introduced themselves, Kuroo had quickly excused himself to brew tea for them. Kenma and Hinata sat across each other in the sitting room in relative silence, the miko fiddling with the hems of his sleeves, eyes darting around the room like a frightened animal. Never had Kenma imagined that he would find himself in this situation; Hinata had to be the most adorable thing he’d ever seen in his thousand-year life and here he was, seated across him, cheeks looking like freshly washed apples with how red they were even under the moonlight.

Hinata, on the other hand was having a mental breakdown over what had just transpired that night, shifting uneasily atop his cushion with every passing second. In one fell swoop, he had been fed to their village deity that he had personally worshipped and adored for his entire existence, possibly been exiled by the village for escaping said feeding, and then rescued from all that by a kitsune for heaven’s sake. It was all nothing short of bizarre. The final nail in the coffin had to be the fact that he had been chosen to satisfy Hakuja-sama’s carnal purposes, nothing noble or heroic, honestly it was just slimy and gross. Just thinking about it made him feel dirty.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Kenma musters up the courage to speak first. “Um, are you feeling okay?”

It’s as if the ginger had just noticed that the kitsune was in the room with him, jumping into the air like a frightened cat. Kenma couldn’t help but snicker at the cute reaction.

“Don’t laugh Kitsune-sama!” Hinata huffing, pouting at being caught doing something so embarrassing.

“Mm, just call me Kenma.” He says, the corners of his mouth tilting up ever so slightly. The use of his smile muscles feels a little taxing, having only traded snide remarks and eye rolls with Kuroo for most of his life. Hinata, being the sunshine that he is, smiles back easily.

Of course, Kuroo chooses the come back at this exact moment, whistling an offbeat tune as he plops himself beside the two, pouring tea into the three cups.

“What are you two getting up to huh? Getting cozy Hinata-kun?” Kuroo asks, complete with wriggling eyebrow and everything.

“Ahaha, I’m cozy! Thank you so much for the tea Kuroo-sama, this smells really nice.” Hinata inclines his head as he beams, eyes curving into happy little crescents.

The twin-tailed kitsune waves through the air vaguely, rooster hair swaying in the wind. “Think nothing of it. How are you feeling?”

Hinata pauses, flicking his eyes up to a spot on the ceiling as he tries to get his thoughts in order. “Um, if it’s alright I might go back to the village tomorrow and try and explain everything to my family, I think father and mother will understand that I just freaked out.”

“Would you service that…thing…again?” Kenma coughs uncomfortably into his sleeve, skin crawling at the thought of what the Karasuno village has been worshipping all this time. And after watching over him for so long, finally having a chance to interact with the human has been nothing short of lovely, if you could disregard the unfortunate circumstances. His ears, once perked at the sound of Hinata’s tinkling laughter, start to droop. Hinata doesn’t seem to notice however, continuing on with a contemplative look on his face. In this moment, both yōkai marvel at the frail human's calm assessment. He suddenly seemed wise beyond his years, was this a miko thing?

“Um, I don’t know. I think I just have to try and talk to my parents you know? Worst case scenario they’ll turn me away and I could give them one last hug before moving to a different village or something.” Hinata nodded at his own conclusion, satisfied, before yawning; his eyes scrunching together like a baby kitten.

“Let’s get you to bed shrimpy, we’ll visit your village bright and early tomorrow okay?”

The miko nods, letting himself by pushed into the spare room with Kuroo’s gentle prodding. Kenma pads into the room as well, pulling a futon out of the cupboards for Hinata to crawl into. As chocolate orbs begin to flutter, Kenma kneels down beside him, brushing aside the hair on his forehead with a gentle hand.

“I-I’m going to give you another kiss okay, the air this high into the mountains is toxic to humans; it’ll help with your endurance.”

A light sort of giggle fills the air, Hinata peeking out from under the covers, his small frame looking very much like it’s being engulfed by the thick covers. Kenma feels very much like dying and ascending to heaven when the precious bundle of cotton thanks him, voice a little slurry.

When he exits the room (heart beating a mile a minute, might I add), the pudding head sees that Kuroo wasted no time in whipping out his kiseru, already blowing out thin tendrils of smoke plonked right at his favourite spot on the veranda. Up in the sky, the moon is full, its luminescence casting it across the rooster head’s face, dusting his features with ethereal frost.

“Hm, I like the kid already. Too bad he can’t stay for long up here.” He mutters, a hint of something cold in his voice.

Kenma goes back into the house, ignoring his friend’s comments in favour of catching some z’s himself. As he changes into his bed clothes and crawls into his own futon, the kitsune wraps his tails around him, dreaming of marigolds and sunshine the moment his eyes close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this short chapter! Hope y'all are enjoying so far ^^
> 
> I'm still working on Jewel of the Forest, I know that it's due for a new chapter but I'm honestly not too happy with the plot so far AHAHA so I think I need to go back and review it; seriously everything starting from them banging doesn't sit right with me so idk if I'm just going to scrub it and get rid of those chapters, I'm not sure. Either way, I don't want to make the same mistakes as I did in that fic, I'ma take my time and hopefully come out with something a bit better AHAHAHA. Peace out guys!!


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